In skydiving, several of our disciplines have the word “relative” in the title. “Relative Work” (or “RW”) is the word we use to describe “flat” jumps–where all the jumpers are oriented belly-to-earth, and the goal is to move relative to each other to take grips and make shapes. “Canopy Relative Work” (or “CRW”/”CReW”) is the word we use to describe the discipline in which several (or many) jumpers fly parachutes relative to each other and link up into shapes in comparable ways.

XRW is the newest addition to this full house of “relatives.” The acronym stands for “Cross Relative Work,” and it’s the word we use to describe the art of flying big wingsuits with tiny parachutes.

This discipline is no beginner’s pursuit. It’s a challenge right at the outset to find pilots capable of successfully navigating either the suit or the parachute. Enormous wingsuits require incredibly delicate handling (as they’re widely acknowledged to be tantamount to aircraft, albeit the most pernickety, ill-tempered aircraft on the planet) and tiny parachutes seem to relish throwing themselves into a brutal malfunction (nevermind that they always have to be landed at racetrack speeds). Putting the two elements together is nuts. In fact: There’s a relatively tiny number of pilots who have actually successfully “docked” an XRW formation.

It’s also amazing.

XRW is beautiful to watch. It’s invigorating to push the boundaries of what’s possible. And there’s much to be said for the sheer challenge of the thing: Putting an XRW jump together takes a lot of trust, preparation and practice.

This discipline is SO new. At this stage of the game, we’re pioneering the discipline in much the same way that the very first skydivers did when they were first working towards passing a baton from one jumper to another in freefall.

Watch this incredible video of an XRW jump captured at Perris:

Want To Try Your Hand At XRW?

If you’re just starting out as a skydiver, you have a long, galvanizing road ahead of you. To even put on a wingsuit for the first time, you’ll need to have at least 200 recent skydives under your belt; to fly a tiny parachute with skill (and land without a crunch), you’ll have to put in more hop-’n’-pops than you can shake an exceedingly long stick at.

We’re here to help! At Skydive Perris, we have a wingsuit school on campus called Lightning Flight. The school is widely acknowledged as one of the best in the world for all levels of wingsuit tutelage–from a wingsuit first jump course all the way through to coaching at the most advanced level. Uniquely, Lightning Flight offers both FFC and XRW camps to put XRW hopefuls through their paces.

Relatively speaking, if you’re located in Southern California, there’s no better place than Skydive Perris to start along the journey to joining a wingsuit and a canopy pilot in the sky. We’re looking forward to helping you take on the challenge!

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“I want to start flying a wingsuit as soon as possible. How do I get that done?”

Golly, but we hear that question a lot.

It’s not surprising that it comes up for us so often. After all, Skydive Perris is one of the best dropzones in the world to learn how to wingsuit. We have immense landing areas, great, wingsuit-friendly aircraft and–most importantly–a team of the most hailed wingsuit skydiving instructors on the planet.

Excited? Of course you are. But hear ye, hear ye: Wingsuiting as a discipline requires loads more in the way of prerequisites than other skydiving disciplines. You’re going to need to square up to them before you start playing birdie. Here’s what you need to know.

1. You’ll Need To Learn To Fly In Every Other Way

That said–even with conditions as top-shelf as ours–wingsuit flying is no plug-and-play adventure. Every new wingsuit flyer needs to approach the discipline by first mastering skydiving in general and sternly resist the urge to rush. You need to be able to fly your body comprehensively in all freefall orientations, to understand in detail how a wingsuit works and how your subtle inputs affect it, and to land your parachute with nano-precision on every jump (because how wingsuit flyers land is via parachute, not the wingsuit itself). This stuff, naturally, comes with time and dedication. You can’t cram for this test.

2. You’ll Need To Check Off A List Of Non-Negotiable Requirements.

Before you gear up to get on the plane for that wingsuit first flight course, you will need to run down a list of must-haves and must-dos. Here it is, so you can get started straight away:

• You’ll need to prove in your signed logbook that you’ve completed a minimum of 200 skydives, preferably in the last 18 months
• You’ll need to present a USPA B-license (or foreign equivalent)
• You’ll need to be using a docile main canopy, loaded no higher than 1.3:1. No swoopity-zoomers, please.
• You’ll probably be doing so already, but you need to be using a BOC (bottom-of-container) deployment system
• Your pilot chute needs to be at least 28 inches in diameter, with a minimum 7-foot-long bridle (measured from pin to pilot chute)
• You’ll need to have a visual hand- or chest-mount altimeter and an audible altimeter, a helmet, and an AAD.

3. You’ll Need To Get Great Coaching.

Great coaching makes the difference between nervous, uncertain wingsuit pilots and confident wingsuit pilots with the skills to navigate in multiple orientations, in groups and in a variety of ground and air conditions. If you want to at all resemble your viral-video heroes in the air, you’re going to have to invest in great coaching. Hands-down.

The dedicated team assembled at Skydive Perris to teach wingsuiting–Lightning Flight, by name–comprises some of the sport’s most preeminent, experienced athletes, and they have a serious knack for teaching all levels of skydiver how to spread their wings. From first flights to big-ass goals, Lightning Flight offers truly comprehensive wingsuit training.

We know it’s a tall order, but we also know you can do it! Start working today toward your goal of wingsuit flying by making a skydive with our experienced team. We’ll be with you every step of the way! 

Wanna know more about wingsuit flying? Be sure to check out the amazing story of Wakita Nozomu who left his home in Japan to pursue his lifelong dream to fly a wingsuit at Skydive Perris.

The post Wingsuit Flying: How to Get Started appeared first on Skydive Perris.

Imagine living in Japan: skydiving is expensive, not as accessible, and you have a dream to fly a wingsuit. Most countries recommend a minimum of 200 jumps before making a wingsuit jump AND that you need appropriate training in order to do so. In Japan, there were hardly any wingsuits, let alone wingsuit coaches. This is the story of Wakita Nozomu. He decided to leave the comforts of home, fly to the U.S. with a small pile of cash, borrowed skydiving equipment, and a BIG dream.

When Waki arrived to the US, his first stop was Skydance Skydiving where he earned his A-license. As he went through the program he befriended Shin-san who advised him that Skydive Perris should be his next stop as they had a dedicated wingsuit school and people that could help him achieve his goal. Waki had 37 jumps and headed to Perris.

When Waki arrived at Skydive Perris, he bought a tent and cheap food then camped out at the dropzone. He had minimal things because he was saving every dime for jump tickets. The desert nights were cold, but Waki didn’t complain. He held his head high, mustered up the energy leaving what warmth of the tent had left and readied himself each day.

Waki was making as many organized jumps with the local organizers, absorbing as much information as he could. He had 2 months to complete his mission before heading back to Japan. Once back home he was to start school and wouldn’t be able to jump for over a year. He was determined and set on course. But that’s when the weather hit.

Waki did what any skydiver would do when trying to reach a desired jump number. He showed up every day waiting out the weather and did hop-n-pops when a break in the weather rolled in. Even though Waki was running out of time, money, and not logging enough jumps, he remained positive, greeting everyone with high fives and hugs.

One day a friend named Priscilla, who always greeted Waki with a hug and a smile, loaned him a blanket. This generous act fueled Waki’s energy and kept him warmer at night. Another night at the bar Waki was hanging out by himself. Dupuis happened to walk in and see Waki sitting alone. “Can I buy you a beer?” Dan asked. The two chatted it up all night and began a friendship, talking about Waki’s goals to wingsuit and his obstacles with weather and running out of money and time.

A few days later Dan Dupuis was walking back from the landing area and someone approached him, “Are you going to take Waki up for a wingsuit jump?” Dan was puzzled by the request and instantly had a few ‘red flags’ at the idea. He quickly evaluated that Waki hadn’t had enough jumps, was doing many hop-n-pops (which isn’t the best route to accumulate jump numbers for wingsuiting since the freefall portion is equally important as canopy piloting). Dan approached one of the load organizers who Waki jumped with most. Surprisingly, Waki got a rave review.

Not even five minutes later Dan was asked again by another jumper, “Are you going to take Waki up on a wingsuit jump?” At this point Dan’s curiosity was piqued, so he asked another load organizer about Waki to see whether his ‘red flag’ intuition was right or not. The second load organizer gave Waki a glowing review.

By now, Waki had one day left and 2 more jumps to go before he hit 200 and the weather forecast didn’t look great. Not only that, the next question Dan had was whether Waki’s gear was appropriate for wingsuiting. After thoroughly reviewing his gear, it passed inspection.

Wingsuit coach, Dan Dupuis, agreed to meet Waki at the DZ in the morning to start training, even though the weather did not look good for the entire day. Dan planned on 2 tracking/evaluation jumps prior to doing a wingsuit jump, which would give Waki a chance to prove he could fly safely in a wingsuit, and earn the jump numbers to do it. Waki crossed his fingers that the weather forecast was wrong as he had three more jumps to do, and a plane to catch the following day.

The morning was greeted with low, overcast clouds unfamiliar to California as the state has been in an intense drought the last few years. The pair showed up anyways and did the training and waited, and waited. Manifest made an announcement that they were going to try for a load as there was a break in the weather. The pair manifested and anticipation grew.

The jump went phenomenally. Dan was blown away by Waki’s stability, directional control, and speed in his track! Waki was glowing, and Dan’s red flags disappeared and the duo manifested for the next possible load to get in the second evaluation jump. This time Dan planned a tracking jump that included freefall pattern work – a crucial element in wingsuit flying.

The weather held as they went up for the second evaluation jump. Waki remained focused and his freefall skills were controlled and precise, which again impressed Dan. “He’s ready for the wingsuit,” Dan thought to himself. The duo planned the jump, hoping the good weather stayed a bit longer and manifested for the next load. The entire drop zone had been befriended by this young, enthusiastic man, and they stood around cheering him on.

The load departed. On that plane was a determined young man with a dream. Waki had a passion for wingsuiting ever since he saw it as a young boy. The months of cold nights, ramen noodles, and bad weather had led to forming incredible relationships that included: Senior Shin Ito-san, who help Waki stay motivated when he felt most alone; his wingsuit coach (Dan Dupuis) who bought him that first beer, offered friendship along the way, and a willingness to train him; and the random person who paid for two nights in the bunkhouse which was such a cool, uniquely American experience for Waki to have.

Waki was calm as he approached the door with Dan. He went through his exit procedures, and there in his bright yellow student Squirrel Hatch suit, Dan watched and followed with confidence as Waki was greeted by the cool wind and stepped out of the door. And there he was, flying a wingsuit. “He was a bullet and did amazing,” recalls Dan.

Waki hooted and hollered the whole freefall and canopy ride. He just couldn’t stop beaming and even continued hollering after he landed with immense pride. As Waki recalled his story sitting at school, he couldn’t help but remember all the people and often thinks of and misses them most. “I couldn’t jump wingsuit without everyone’s help! They treat me as sky family!” he said. You could hear the smile in Dan’s voice when he recalled Waki’s time at Perris, “He was the happiest guy I had ever met.”

When Waki was asked what his biggest lesson was from his time in the U.S. he simply said, “Never give up.”

He did it – Waki’s dream came true.

Waki wanted to make sure to give love to the people who helped him. He says, “Thanks a lot again!”

Mo, Mike, Darrent, Kacy, Eric, Jenean, Dan, Grace, Bull, Remi, Bee, Lichard, Josh, Clayton, Hana, Colby, Amy, John, Frankie, Kathryne, Dom, Erica, Lora, Lisa, Divinia, Lory, Brenda, Sean, Lawrance, Cossandra, Han, Jasmin, Jean, Mitch, Adam, Bob, Ruby family, profile, Chris, Rachel, Nick, Mike, 

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2016 was our 40^th year of operation. And what an amazing 40 years it’s been!  The 40th-anniversary celebration was a weekend I’ll never forget.  Truly touching, having the opportunity to listen to skydivers from four decades telling stories of what a huge part of their lives Skydive Perris has been.  We are grateful for our wonderful community and the family of skydivers we have had the lifelong honor to be a part of. 

Growth – New Jumpers and a Plane!

And our family is growing!  Last year we had 180 AFF graduates.  146 of which got their A Licenses and are jumping with us now!  Some of them are already coaches and working towards becoming instructors.  Others are jumping on teams.  And all of them have enjoyed hanging out at the Bombshelter, flying in the tunnel or looking at the stars from the campfire. 

On any sunny day at Skydive Perris, you’ll see skydivers from 18 to 85.  They’re doing 4-way, 8-way, big ways,free flying, wingsuiting, tracking, CReW and angle flying.  It doesn’t matter what discipline you’re into.  We’re all skydivers.  We love safely sharing the skies together, and get off on watching other skydivers fly in amazing ways we may never have tried, yet ☺. 

With this newsletter, we want to keep you posted on everything happening at the DZ.  And in 2017 there is a lot going on for everyone! 

You’re going to see a 5^th Skyvan come online bringing our fleet of multiengine aircraft to a total of 8.  Unless of course, you want to include the DC-9 which is on schedule to be back in the air this year!

Let the swooping commence!  Stand by for more info about the new high-performance landing area!!

USPA National Championships Coming To Skydive Perris

We’re stoked to be hosting the 2017 USPA National Skydiving Championships this September!  Everyone across the country is expecting this to be one of the largest Nationals ever! 

Competitors from every freefall discipline will be here showing their stuff.  There is nothing more awesome than watching FS, FF, WS and Speed flyers all working their magic in the sky.  You’re going to want to be a part of this historic event!  There are different divisions in each discipline so whether you just want to throw a team together and participate in the biggest Skydiving competition in the world or go for the Gold this is the year to do it.  Many teams are already training, many more are still forming.     

New & Notable Events

PERRIS ORGANIZERS

The Perris Organizers are at the DZ every day of the week!  If you’ve just gotten your A License and wondering what comes next, stop wondering.  These guys can’t wait to jump with you.  After flying with them you’ll be learning and loving skydiving even more than you do now.  If you’re an experienced jumper looking for good times and new challenges they’ll have them for you.  You can just walk on the DZ and get on a load with them or sign up for one of their events.  It’s that easy! FFI Contact Grace Katz or visit www.perrisorganizers.com. 

Saturday Night Live on DZ

Introducing Saturday Night Live on the DZ – One Saturday night per month. First Date TBA. The lineup will include:

Safety With James Perez

4:00pm – Work with James Perez as he goes over the finer points of safety concerns with his 20+ years of experience in the sport.

Tunnel Competition

5:45pm: Check-in starts at 5:45pm. Competition open to anyone at any skill level. Novice or Expert. Unsure of your skills? Come by early for some pre-comp coaching. Video of debriefing of tunnel flights. Watch the competition after the pool / bar. A fun and safe way to progress in the sport.

BBQ Party

7:00pm – Have a BBQ with your fellow skydivers, LOs and skydive instructors. Learn new things, share stories, ask questions! Open projector screen so you can show off your vids for the day. Be part of the community with this unique opportunity not available anywhere else.

Wide Open Wingsuit Series Championships

There is hardly a day at Skydive Perris that you don’t see wingsuiters cruising across the skies. On March 31 – April 2, you’ll see a few more than usual flying faster and further than ever at the WOWS Championships. 

We have WS Load Organizers every weekend and many weekdays.  The WS load organizing calendar can be found at lightningflight.com/calendar.  If you don’t have your own wingsuit, Lightning Flight has demo Squirrel suits you can use. 

Easter Boogie

So how about this?  $22 jumps. Skyvans. No registration fee. Saturday night party. Perris Organizers. FF Organizers. WS Organizers. That’s not enough??  Then we’ll throw this down. Bring your 4 or 8way FS team and get FREE COACHING FROM CHRISTY FRIKKEN AND DAN BC! You’d rather fly a wingsuit? FREE WS COACHING AND ORGANIZING WITH TAYA WEISS! Yeah, there you go. 

Perris Performance Plus “P3”

You’re getting the hang out this skydiving stuff and you think you’re ready to start jumping with more people and bigger groups.  The P3 Big Way Camp is what you need.  This 4-day camp, held from May 4 – 7, will give you the opportunity you’ve been looking for. We start out on the first day doing 16ways (usually from two planes!) and just get bigger from there. By Sunday you’ll have the confidence to get on loads you didn’t dare before.  Check out www.p3skydiving.com for all the details on the Big Way Camp and other P3 events.

CA State FreeFly Record      

World Champions and all-around good guys, Travis Fienhage and Andy Malchiodi have made breaking records a hobby.  From November 9th – 12th, they plan on killing the current California State FF Record by doing a 100-way. Skydive Perris is planning to use as many of our fleet of Skyvans as we can to help make it happen. Travis and Andy are collecting the best of the best freeflyers for this one.  If you’re not one of the best yet, you can be by November!  They’re holding FF Big Way Camps throughout the year to get you ready.  Camps are scheduled at Perris on June 23 – 25 and November 7 & 8.

Upcoming Events

February

23 – 26   P3 16-60 Ways
25 – 26   Head Up Camp organized by BJ Michaeli

March

4 – Pat Works Memorial
11 – Safety Day
18 – 19 – Sisters in Skydiving
31 – WOWS Wingsuit Competition

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How well do you know your emergency procedures?

I’m asking the question because it has become a big issue in the sport. Most skydivers perform their Emergency Procedures (EPs) correctly if asked to demonstrate them. Most can write down the correct answer if taking a written test. But have you trained them to the point of muscle memory? Are the perfect EPs an instinctive response to recognizing a malfunction? If faced with a high pressure, physically strenuous, time sensitive situation are you ready to execute your EPs perfectly and without hesitation? Unfortunately, the honest answer to these questions is too often ‘no’.

Far too many people do not know their emergency procedures anywhere near as well as they need to. As the DZ Manager of one of the world’s largest drop zones, any time I see someone pull too low, or have an AAD fire, I always sit them down and speak to them. Together we try to figure out how they got down there so we can be sure they know what to do differently to be certain it never happens again.

One beautiful, busy day at Skydive Perris we had two AAD fires within an hour of each other. One of the individuals had about 100 jumps and initiated deployment at 4,000 feet. He had a slow speed malfunction, cut away at a high enough altitude but didn’t pull his reserve before his AAD fired. The other had about 400 jumps, started his deployment at 3000’, had a pilot chute in tow, cut away and went for his reserve but not before his AAD beat him to it.

Since both of them had initiated deployment plenty high there was no reason they should have ended up still in freefall so dangerously low. I asked them to demonstrate their emergency procedures for me. They both did. Then I asked them to talk me through the malfunction, their thought processes and show me what they did. Neither of them executed their emergency procedures correctly! They both did something different in the air than the intended emergency procedures they had just shown me! One of them ‘reached’ before he ‘looked’. The other reached with one hand when his plan was to have both hands on both handles.

How is that possible? Skydiving equipment has advanced so much. The emergency procedures we have to do when faced with a malfunction are simple and easy to execute. Way too many fatalities – and more close calls than we can even count – happen because we don’t perform these procedures correctly within the time we have.

These three simple ideas could save your life:

#1 Practice your EPs

Emergency procedures are not practiced enough. I’ve asked many people how often they practice their EPs. The most common answer I hear is “I practice them before each jump.” That sounds like it should be plenty but the fact is, it’s not. Based on that, the jumper with 100 jumps had practiced EPs a total of 100 times. That is not nearly enough to develop the instinctive muscle memory you will need to save your life in the few seconds you have.

There are a few different ways to execute emergency procedures. Each one of them will work as long as you perform it correctly and immediately. None of them take more than five seconds. In a minute you could practice your EPs 12 times. Since your life depends on it, why not take five minutes each day and go through your EPs 60 times. We dirtdive a jump for 15 minutes but usually don’t practice saving our lives for even 5 seconds

You want to be a Badass?
Be a badass at performing your EPs.

– Dan BC

Do your EPs ten times a day for 30 seconds, or five times a day each for a minute. But somewhere in your day find five minutes you can dedicate to practicing EPs (every day, not just jumping days) and you will have rehearsed them to the point that they are totally automatic. You’ll see a malfunction and will instinctively perform the perfect procedures without hesitation.

#2 Stay one step ahead

We are too often surprised when our parachutes don’t work correctly and take too long to make the decision to cut away. Stay one step ahead. **Expect** your parachute to malfunction every jump. Be pleasantly surprised when it doesn’t. If you have any doubt at all about whether your parachute is good or not, it’s not. A good parachute doesn’t give you any doubt.
Don’t wait until you are faced with a stressful malfunction situation to decide what you are going to do. **Decide right now that if you aren’t 100% sure you have a good canopy over your head you will cut away without hesitation.**

#3 Pull at a safe altitude

If you don’t have enough altitude even well executed EPs won’t save you. USPA’s minimum deployment altitude is 2,500 feet. To deploy by 2,500 feet you need to be waving off no lower than 3000 feet. If you are lower you may not have the time you’ll need.
These three simple ideas could save your life. They’ve saved mine on more than 20 malfunctions. Please consider them and share them

www.danbrodsky-chenfeld.com

http://www.amazon.com/Above-All-Else-Skydivers-Adversity/dp/1616084464/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1382556172&sr=8-1&keywords=dan+brodsky-chenfeld

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Everyone who has made a Skydive agrees, there is nothing that compares to that first jump. You take the class, sit through the video and watch lots of people jump before you get in the plane. But even with the training and preparation, your first skydive is still the ultimate “leap of faith”.

You tried to imagine what it was going to be like, the sound of the wind, the air in your face, the incredible acceleration and speed, that moment of actually stepping out the door. You dreamt and thought about it for so long before ever jumping, but it was nothing like you expected! The adrenalin rush of your first freefall followed by the quiet serenity of the canopy flight was so completely different from anything you’d ever done before. You try to tell your friends about it but you’re at a loss for the right words and end up saying “I can’t explain it. You just have to do it.”

We hear it all the time, whether you only do one jump or choose to pursue skydiving as a new (and often lifelong) hobby, that first skydive is a life changing experience. You leave the drop zone with new confidence, ready to take the next leap of faith in pursuit of your dreams, to face your fears and tackle all challenges. At the moment of truth, when it came down to it, you had the courage to step off the plane and fly. If you could do that you can do anything.

What could possibly be better than your first jump? Your second jump!

Your second jump is a completely different experience than the first. The first jump is everything I just described. But the level of adrenaline and the sensation of freefall are so foreign to you that for everyone there is a certain amount of “sensory overload.” With so many new physical and emotional experiences happening simultaneously it is nearly impossible to absorb it all. It’s sometimes hard to tell if the freefall lasted 5 seconds or two minutes. When we think back after our first jump it is difficult to recall and to play it back in our minds as a moment by moment rerun.

On the second jump our hearts will be racing again, but because we’ve experienced it before we know much more what to expect. There is much less sensory overload. We can recall every second of it. Freefall actually seems like the 50ish seconds that it is. Because we are so much more aware during the jump we are actually able to enjoy the entire experience more. We don’t just have the adrenalin rush when we exit the plane, we remember it! We remember how we became more relaxed after exiting the plane as we transitioned into stable freefall (“relaxed” is a very relative term of course?). We remember the view of the beach and the mountains. We remember the smooth deceleration from freefall to the canopy flight as our parachute blossomed open.

With less sensory overload we are more aware and in touch with the entire experience and can remember it vividly and enjoy it even more. We can play that memory in our heads over and over again and relive it as many times as we want.

We experience the first jump, but we own the second one!
There is nothing that compares to that second Skydive.

www.danbrodsky-chenfeld.com

http://www.amazon.com/Above-All-Else-Skydivers-Adversity/dp/1616084464/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1382556172&sr=8-1&keywords=dan+brodsky-chenfeld

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Many people who don’t jump have a funny, stereotypical impression of skydivers. Some think we are a subculture of young, adrenalin junkies with a disregard for life who enjoy pushing the limits on every jump. Many of the movies that involve skydiving have not only backed that impression up, but have taken it a step further by making us into the likes of bank robbers and drug smugglers.

But one thing I’ve always loved about skydivers is that in reality we are the most diverse group of individuals you could ever find assembled in one place. Any given day on the drop zone, certainly at Skydive Perris, you will see skydivers from 18 to 80, from as many as 30 different countries (during big events), from every ethnicity, religion, sexual orientation and occupation. We are teachers, students, Generals, Privates, doctors, waiters, fireman, gardeners, policeman, secretaries, mechanics, construction workers, models, actors, journalists and entrepreneurs of all types. You name it, we’ve got em!

But no matter the back ground, or financial status, when we walk on to the drop zone none of that matters. Everyone is equal.

The only thing I can think of which could possibly unite such an odd collection of individuals must be that skydivers share some kind of rare genetic disorder which makes us think that we are closer to being birds than we actually are.

There is one other thing that defines each and every one of us whether we’ve made one jump or thousands. We are all people who had a dream and dared to follow it through. Many people have dreams but far fewer have the courage to see them to fruition. Skydivers aren’t just dreamers. We are dreamers who backed it up with action. Action that was hard for us to take.

Most people who have made a jump dreamt about skydiving for years before they got up the courage to actually make it to the drop zone and do a first jump. Continuing after that is even more difficult. After each jump as new skydivers are working through the student progression towards their “A” License they experience feelings of exhilaration and freedom that are unmatched. Nothing else compares. They can’t wait for their next skydive.
But once they return home to their real world the excitement often subsides and common sense starts to take over. They start thinking of every reason to never to jump again. And there are many. For starters it’s dangerous and scary as hell, not to mention expensive, terribly inconvenient and time consuming. There are so many other things they could be doing with their time. Despite all that, their dream of flight is so strong that they find a way to make it happen.

Pursuing and achieving any dream proves to us that we don’t have to accept the status quo. That it’s actually possible to go after the things we want in life. I have seen many people who discovered this through skydiving then have the confidence and courage to pursue other dreams they had in business or relationships which were completely unrelated to skydiving.

I have two wonderful children and I couldn’t care less if they ever skydive. But I hope they find something to pursue in life that they are passionate about, something that keeps them up at night, that they can’t live without, something that will connect them with others who share that same passion. It doesn’t matter what it is, I just want them to have something they love like I love skydiving and people to share it with they love like I do skydivers.

www.danbrodsky-chenfeld.com

http://www.amazon.com/Above-All-Else-Skydivers-Adversity/dp/1616084464/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1382556172&sr=8-1&keywords=dan+brodsky-chenfeld

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